The slow and painful progress of the Air Navigation Bill
on Monday is a ease ill point. Sir Philip Sassoon, who is in charge of it. has a deservedly high reputation as an administrator. but in spite of the fact that he has been Under-Secretary at the Air Ministry, except for the interlude of the Lalxmir Government. since 192-1. he has never had the experience until now of piloting a complex and controversial Bill through the House. The strain is proving rather too much for him. He has not developed the necessary resource and resiliency in debate. Ile lacks the authority essential to a Minister when he is dealing with hostile amendments, especially when some of them are supported by members of his own party. Ministerial reinforcements had to be summoned, and by the end of the evening the Solicitor-General and the Home Secretary were in turn in control of the discussions. Incidentally, the intervention of Sir John Simon was an object lesson of his astonishing intellectual gifts. He came into the House when some complicated legal question was involved, had a few minutes conversation with ollicials in the Civil Servants' Gallery, and shortly afterwards was at the despatch box making a speech that proved that he had acquired a complete mastery of all the relevant facts.
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